Radio Taatayya passes away

HYDERABAD: Mallampalli Umamaheswara Rao (99), the first Telugu announcer of All India Radio passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. It was with his announcements that the broadcast of Telugu radio programmes were launched for the first time in 1938 from Chennai station of All India Radio. In a statement on Wednesday, secretary of programme staff association of All India Radio and Doordarshan of AP state unit V Gopichand, said that Umamaheswara Rao was well known as Radio Taatayya, for the stock character he played in Telugu programmes for children. He was actively involved in scripting and voicing.